A call for Inquiry into Wales Cladding Crisis and not before time

The Welsh Conservatives have called on Labour ministers to launch an inquiry to establish how exactly each managing agent in Wales has responded to the cladding crisis, and if there is any sign that some are profiteering from the situation.

Commenting on the news, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:

“My heart genuinely goes out too leaseholders in Wales, some of whom are not only trapped in unsafe buildings but are subject to questionable practices by managing agents.

“Labour’s failure to act with the speed and urgency the situation calls for is swiftly becoming the problem of these vulnerable people who go to bed every night with concerns for their safety.

“Labour ministers need to set up an inquiry to establish exactly how each managing agent in Wales has responded to the cladding crisis and disclose if some are exploiting this tragic situation.”

This comes following concerns raised to the Shadow Minister by residents who have reported an increase of fees ranging from an in-house brokerage fee for insurance, the doubling of service fees from £2,500 to £5,000 and managing agents charging admin fees on top of existing management fees.

Labour ministers have previously come under fire from the Welsh Conservatives as it emerged that last year, not a single penny was spent on building safety despite almost £60 million being made available by the UK Conservative Government.

UK Government has also announced a six-week deadline to sign contracts to fix fire safety defects in their blocks or face a ban on developing, even for schemes with planning permission.